Nestle India has made subtle changes to the packaging of its Maggi noodles, with some experts construing these as the foods company playing safe after a ban that was eventually overturned but only after hectic rescue efforts and damage to the firm’s image and earnings.
The pack no longer says: “Maggi masala noodles is a source of protein and calcium: essential nutrients for you at all stages of life”. That’s been replaced with the message: “Consume along with fruit and milk. Also removed is: “70g of Maggi masala noodles provides 10% RDA (recommended dietary allowance) of protein and 18 per cent RDA of calcium”. The list of ingredients and nutritional information, however, remains the same. Nestle India said that it sought to help consumers make informed choices about diet and that while there was no change in content, the reference to milk and fruit was a year old.
Experts are surprised at the move. According to them, this move is not likely to gain consumers’ confidence whose trust Nestle India is trying to rebuild. No one consumes noodles along with fruit and milk. They have left themselves open to attack by competitors.
